I think the word teamwork dates back to the origins of workplace jargon. What a wonderful concept: employees cooperating with each other, placing the organization's goals before their individual interests. Why then, is it difficult--in fact, damned near impossible--to convince employees to work together? Because regardless of the lip service we apply to promoting teamwork, we discourage it in our actions:

"Welcome to the organization. We just need a few signatures. First is our noncompete agreement, which prohibits you from working in this country for one year after resigning. We fully expect you'll want to stay here forever, but in case we abuse you too much, please sign this form waiving your right to sue us. We're happy to have you--permanently--on our team.

"If it's all the same to you, we'll assign you to one of our micromanaging team leaders. You'll like the slower pace that comes from your boss's lack of trust and low expectations. Don't be alarmed if your teammates grow to distrust you or doubt your ability; that seems to happen a lot on this leader's team. If it gets too bad, feel free to withhold your best efforts, complain, treat colleagues discourteously, and show disrespect for the entire team; everyone else does.

"Before you know it we'll promote you to player manager. Then you can go head-to-head with your team members, competing for clients and sales, and all those other things we know everyone aspires to, like job titles, money, and power. Just be careful about sharing information with others; if you end up helping them look good, they'll probably get the promotion you want. Before you act, always ask, 'What's in it for me?'

"If you fail, we'll help you pack your things. Or you can try pointing the blame at another team member. In fact, you might want to practice sabotaging your coworkers; forced ranking time is just around the corner and we're a little short on C players this year.

"If you have any questions about the computer system, just call our support team. They're five states away and three hours behind. They help us maintain our open communications; that is, whenever you can get through to them.

"We're glad you're here. Enjoy the synergy!"

Remember, people do what you reward. Yet for some reason, we forget to reward teamwork. Instead, we base our compensation systems around the private interests of individual employees. Sell the most and win a cruise. And when we reward different people for unrelated things, it's unsurprising that most leaders say getting employees to work together is their toughest challenge.

If you want your employees to work together, structure their rewards, structure your vision, and structure your culture around teamwork. Bookmark this post on del.icio.us

In 1999, after an eight-year absence, the National Football League reintroduced instant replay to professional football officiating. Thanks to improved technology, coaches can now challenge certain calls made by game referees. Let's say an official rules that a receiver made a spectacular catch resulting in a touchdown. The opposing team's coach, who's convinced that the receiver's right foot was out of bounds at the time, may contest the ruling. Refs then watch slow-motion instant replays, looking for indisputable evidence that the player stepped out of bounds. If the replays show the player's foot over the line, officials reverse the call and negate the touchdown.

In leadership, as in sports, having your decisions second guessed is unnerving. But people brave enough to disagree with you can put forth new ideas, warn you about unexpected problems, or tell you when you've made a bad call. And since you're a risk seeker with the courage to question bad decisions made by your superiors, you'll want to instill that same behavior in those people reporting to you. So what if you implement an instant replay process for your employees? In other words, give workers a safe way to challenge your calls.

Unless you show workers that you unconditionally welcome their feedback, many will balk at challenging your directives; some might have misgivings about showing disrespect, while others will fear retribution. In football, coaches initiate instant replay challenges by tossing a red flag onto the field. You could give employees flags to drop on your desk whenever they want to question a decision, thereby encouraging participation and providing bashful challengers with a fun, unthreatening way to approach you with concerns.

Only specific NFL plays are reviewable; for instance, officials can use replay to determine where exactly a runner stepped out of bounds, but pass interference claims are unchallengeable. Without similar stipulations, employees might question every decision you make. Why did you give Mary next Friday off when I asked first? But that's better than having employees wonder which issues are questionable. And if you're truly sincere about getting feedback, you need to hear it all.

One final tip: NFL coaches must initiate challenges before the next play begins; otherwise, the call stands. Your replay system should have a time restriction as well--a three-day limit, for example--to prohibit employees from allowing their issues to fester for too long.

You and NFL officials have a common goal: avoiding mistakes that harm the final outcome. But although coaches challenge from the sidelines, you need feedback from the frontlines. So freely give away your authority by introducing instant replay in your game. Bookmark this post on del.icio.us